DCT Down Shifting

[kpinvt]

I've found while riding in "D" mode and slowing down for a stop the bike bucks as it shifts down through the lower gears. In "S" mode the down shifts are so much smoother that when I'm riding in "D" I tap the D/S button to switch to "S" mode when I'm rolling to a stop. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed anything like this. The bike has 585 miles on it.

 

[NCer]

My 2 cents - the "D" mode sucks!
Even though, others find it useful in the city traffic. ( I don't ride in the city )

I am in "S" or manual mode all the time.

 

[Brillot2000]

I've found while riding in "D" mode and slowing down for a stop the bike bucks as it shifts down through the lower gears. In "S" mode the down shifts are so much smoother that when I'm riding in "D" I tap the D/S button to switch to "S" mode when I'm rolling to a stop. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed anything like this. The bike has 585 miles on it.

I have be preaching this for sometime now.

"D-Mode" is intended for Highways, Freeways and where stopping and going is not that frequent. I have heard people refer to this mode as "Senior Citizen Mode", not to offend anyone here.

"S-Mode" is a intended for in/across town, twisties, and general use. The "Jack of All Modes" if you will...

"MT-Mode" is best used where slow speed control is desired such as slow speed maneuvering or lane splitting (Filtering).

My 2 cents - the "D" mode sucks!
Even though, others find it useful in the city traffic. ( I don't ride in the city )

I am in "S" or manual mode all the time.

I ride NaNCy in "S-Mode" 80-90% of the time.

I find the bike to respond in a matter that it should, such as throttle response, acceleration, and gear selections are close to how I would select them myself.

 

[yearroundrider]

I agree with Brillot2000. When I first started riding the DCT I used the D mode more often. But then found it to change gears when I didn't want it to. I mostly ride in town and with some hills around the D mode would lug too much going up hill and would have to switch to manual mode to keep it where I wanted it. If you do ride in D mode you can manually shift down when coming to a stop with the paddles and is much easier than switching it to S mode. It seemed to me that after my bike got broken in and mellowed out a little the S mode rides more smooth and it doesn't burn much more gas than in D mode. It takes a bit to get used to the intricacies of the bike but once you do, you don't even have to think about switching from auto to manual and back again. It becomes second nature just like you would bet used to riding a manual bike. But yes I do still feel the surging once in awhile especially if I am slowing down slowly and its right in between 2nd and 1st gear where its not wanting to commit quickly to shifting down. It seems that slightly harder braking makes the bike shift more smoothly. Hope this helps.

 

[BerndM]

I too have found that the S mode is a much smoother and way less noisy mode of riding. Around town, the D mode is practically always shifting up or down, and all that clicking was bothering my serenity.
I switch from S to D at anything over 40-45 if I want to force the bike into 6th gear to get better mileage.

 

[kjang]

I'm on D mode most of the time.
80-90% on highways.

For city use, I sometimes do hit the S mode, but not always.

Ken

 

[wozza]

I've been a bit slow here on picking up just how good S mode is for around town. D mode only gets used now once out of town.

 

[mreric]

i use D mode all the time. best gas mileage. at 518 i dont think the DCT has learned your behavior. might want to give it a bit more time, this DCT is pretty advance, just like modern car ECU. the DCT on the NC also has learning capability.

give it a bit more time.


question #6
Honda Worldwide | Tech Views | Vol. 1 : Q&A

 

[pahondafan]

I use D mode for relatively straight roads at 45mph and below. To me the bike lurches too much in the lower gears at those speeds in S. On a curvy road I use S for the engine braking on curves. For highways I have been using S. The highways have steep hills here and D does not respond quickly enough for me to the changes in grade. I also use the downshift button when the DCT does not downshift enough for my situation.

 

[Brillot2000]

I use D mode for relatively straight roads at 45mph and below. To me the bike lurches too much in the lower gears at those speeds in S. On a curvy road I use S for the engine braking on curves. For highways I have been using S. The highways have steep hills here and D does not respond quickly enough for me to the changes in grade. I also use the downshift button when the DCT does not downshift enough for my situation.

I find that "D-Mode" will "Strong-arm" the transmission to shift into 6th gear as quickly as possible, thus robbing the ability to snap the throttle for a quick get away. Pressing the "-" button will downshift the trans briefly and then it will again "Strong-arm" it back into 6th.

Ride your bike in "S-Mode", the PCM (Power-train Control Module) will learn your style of riding and will adjust to it over the time. I find my bike downshifting at the moment I'm just about to press the "-" button for engine breaking. The behavior of the bike will improve in time and the more miles you put onto it...